Little changes while the new TIF is still underway

Hot off the heels of her book launch, I am delighted to be part of a group of dedicated foodies who’re celebrating this well regarded cook by sharing a recipe (in my case, two), from it - Recipes Without Borders. Who am I talking about? Radhika Howarth of @radikalkitchen. Described on her website as a ‘food influencer, columnist, content creator, recipe developer and curator of bespoke culinary events’, Radhika’s food encompasses cuisines ‘from Kashmir to Hyderabad and Armenia to Italy’. This is reflected through her book, which is a celebration of global cuisine. No borders needed. Just good food to bring people together. The star of the show, and a recipe I was fortunate to get advanced access to is Aomen da suan xia - also known as Macanese garlic prawns. Although quite simple to make, the flavours just dance off your tongue - spicy and garlicky and with that amazing texture of good, fresh king prawns (shrimp) - well I’m sold. I’ve now made it a couple of times and loved it. I did make a little tweak the first time and popped a drizzle of kecap manis in as I felt it needed a little sweetness to balance. But it works just beautifully without as well. I accompanied it with Kachumber salad, a fresh, herby cucumber and tomato salad with a green-chilli hit that was perfect with the prawns. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of Radhika’s book, Flavours without Borders, and explore more fantastic recipes from this wonderful cook! #radhikaskitchen #FlavoursWithoutBorders #FlavorsWithoutBorders #theinfatuatedfoodie #freshprawns #shrimp #macanesegarlicprawns #garlicprawns #spicyfood #deliciousfood #foodfrommacao #macanesecuisine #kachumbersalad #cucumbersalad #cucumber #worldcuisine #globalfood #bestseller #cookbook #midlandbooksofficial #indianchef #cheflife #chefstalk #chefstable #cookniche

For my third and final November recipe, shared from Mediterranean Escapes by @chefrickstein, here is a fabulous duo of flavour filled food I’ve made in ages. From Turkey, it’s Cinnamon Grilled Chicken with a Broad Bean, Leek and Dill pillar and Cacik. Long title, yes, but it’s so gorgeously simple to make and utterly delicious. First, you prepare the chicken - or buy bone-in pieces and a couple of chicken breasts to cut the work down. Then you make a simple marinade before finishing that off with part-two and seeing aside to soak in those spices. The pilaf is a simple one pan dish that takes five minutes to throw together before you put the lid on and let it do its thing with the heat off after 10 minutes. Lid stays on until you’re ready to serve. Talk about EASY. Back to the chicken: it’s supposed to be cooked over coals, which I imagine would take this to the stratosphere of taste, but I have neither charcoal or even cast iron grilling capability, so it went into the oven to roast instead. It didn’t matter because it was delectable. I’m looking forward to the day I can actually cook over some coals. Oh wow. The cacik is a simple yoghurt and cucumber dressing that reminded me of raita. It all came together so wonderfully it’s gone onto my to do again list, that’s for sure! Thanks to Giorgio @whennonnocooks who keeps this little band of home cooks together, and to this month’s co-host Niki @nikifreeman for putting the work in and sharing our recipes far and wide. #chefrickstein #onebookthreerecipes #cookbook #mediterraneanfood #recipebook #theinfatuatedfoodie #ricksteincookbook #bbccookbooks #bbcbooks #mediterraneanescapes #turkishfood #turkishrecipe #chickenrecipe #grilledchicken #turkishchicken #pilaf #veggiepilaf #broadbeans #springrecipes #springfood #freshisbest #chickendinner #rickstein

Tucked away in the Herbs, Weeds, Salad Leaves and Other Greens chapter is a recipe that caught my eye. It’s a Baked Greek Omelette with Wild Greens, Herbs, Leeks and Feta from the island of Corfu. It’s my second #onebookthreerecipes share for November from Mediterranean Escapes by @chefrickstein and it’s big and green and oh so yummy! What sets it apart from my normal frittata is the sheer amount of greens in it, along with the freshness of mint and quirkiness of chopped dill. It really has a mediterranean vibe, so dense yet light. I used curly kale for the main green and the only thing I’d do differently next time is chop it super fine before wilting it down. And I was true to the rest of the ingredients, including wonderful free-range eggs. As you’d expect from Rick Stein, this recipe is simple, delicious and it’ll be coming with me to work for lunch. It’d also make a perfectly healthy, quick and easy breakfast. For now, it’s in generous slices in the freezer for future use. Ah, the joys of cooking for oneself. Thanks to Giorgio @whennonnocooks who is the amazing man who just keeps supporting this group of lovely home cooks and this month’s co-host Niki @nikifreeman for putting the work in and sharing our recipes far and wide. #chefrickstein #onebookthreerecipes #cookbook #mediterraneanfood #recipebook #theinfatuatedfoodie #ricksteincookbook #bbccookbooks #bbcbooks #mediterraneanescapes #corfurecipes #omelette #eatyourgreens #kalerecipes #eggs #freerangeeggs #freshisbest

Rick Stein is a legend in my eyes. I’ve always adored his unfussy approach to food and the way he shuns micro greens arranged perfectly atop a one-inch piece of carrot just melts me. And because I’m not a Michelin chef at home, I seek food that IS good rather than just looks spectacular and tastes fine but nothing to write home about. Enter @chefrickstein for inspiration. The big divide is his love of the fishiest seafood dishes that I wouldn’t be able to eat. But then there’s his middle ground and this wonderfully simple recipe of Seared Swordfish steaks with Salmoriglio is a highlight of this month’s Mediterranean Escapes cookbook. I first made this recipe after seeing it on the TV series of the same name, released in 2007. We wrote the recipe down off the screen and then made it a few times. Its freshness and zing with a salad and potato or two on the side were a fantastic summer staple. But time passed and life changed and other recipes came and this became a fond, if distant, memory. That memory was reawakened when I saw it in its glory in the pages of this book. The fabulousness of this flavoursome wonder came back to me, so I had to make it. So I went and bought some lovely fresh swordfish from a local market, picked parsley from my herb garden and a lemon from the tree, then set to cooking. I decided to serve two salads alongside - a light potato, flavoured with a good dash of the salmoriglio and green salad for texture. Delicious. This recipe is firmly back on my repertoire and I’ll be enjoying it a lot more over the coming summer months. Thanks to Giorgio @whennonnocooks who is the stalwart behind this group of lovely home cooks and this month’s co-host Niki @nikifreeman for putting the work in and sharing our recipes far and wide. #chefrickstein #onebookthreerecipes #cookbook #mediterraneanfood #recipebook #theinfatuatedfoodie #ricksteincookbook #bbccookbooks #bbcbooks #mediterraneanescapes #salmoriglio #swordfish #searedswordfish #seafood #freshfish #freshseafood #freshisbest #summerfood

I’m so happy to be sharing recipes from this gorgeous book by @chefrickstein featuring fabulous fresh food from around the glorious Mediterranean. With the weather finally warming up here in the southern hemisphere, Mediterranean Escapes is the perfect book for November. The hardest thing is choosing what to share as there are so many fabulous recipes in its pages. I love Rick Stein’s approach to food. It’s fresh, unfussy and easy to make at home, so I hope you enjoy this little trip around the stunning Mediterranean with me and Chef Stein. #chefrickstein #onebookthreerecipes #cookbook #mediterraneanfood #recipebook #theinfatuatedfoodie #ricksteincookbook #bbccookbooks #bbcbooks #mediterraneanescapes

Oooh, baby you’re quite a tart! A very grown up baked chocolate tart that is. This deep, rich and not overly sweet dessert will have you swooning. It’s smooth and sexy and with its 8 tablespoons of Dutch cocoa and 150 grams of 70% chocolate, it’s oh so rich and … chocolatey. It’s my 3rd and final recipe from @jamieoliver’s 1999 book The Naked Chef. Created with love for October’s #onebookthreerecipes social collab, hosted by Giorgio @whennonnocooks with this month’s co-host, Alessandra @littleitaliancucina. While I was making this decadent dessert my thoughts kept returning to a fun night in Rome with my good mate Michelle @mache2u back in 2005. A couple of nights before my 41st birthday we discovered a wonderful piazza while exploring on our first day. We went back later & enjoyed a cocktail, then the next night with another mate who met us there for my birthday. It was tucked away behind buildings down a narrow laneway and at night turned into a vibrant scene of bars and restaurants with loads of outdoor seating. Not many tourists either. Oh, those were the days. On our 2nd visit, while ordering drinks I’d started chatting with the waiter who was delighted to hear it was my almost my birthday. He even remembered Mich and I from the night before and insisted on having a photo taken with some of his friends - other waiters? I don’t recall. As a very cute chocolate-skinned man put his arm around me, he murmured, “I’ll be your chocolate cake tonight” … and had I not been engaged (to marry the biggest mistake of my life), I might have taken him up on the offer. He was gorgeous. Back to 2024 and that’s just a very good memory with a photo to remind me of the holiday fling that wasn’t to be. The tart, however can be made whenever I feel a need to revisit good times past. Just make sure you serve it up with some whipped cream, flavoured with vanilla bean extract to help cut through its richness. Happy travels! #happymemories #holidaymemory #chocolatetart #dessert #decadentdessert #chocolate #jamieoliverrecipes #baking #bakeddessert #pastry #romanholidays #richdessert #bakedtart #theinfatuatedfoodie #piazzadellacopelle

Seared Encrusted Tuna Steak is my 2nd choice for October from The Naked Chef by @jamieoliver. It’s simple, fresh and very delicious. I served it with some boiled chat potatoes and green salad, all dressed with a white wine vinaigrette. 
I didn’t eat fish for many years. It came about when I was little and we had a beachside shack, where we’d go every school holidays no matter what the season.   A real highlight of the shack were the days Dad would take us out fishing in the dinghy. On those days, when there wasn’t even a hint of a white cap on the Bass Strait, we’d don life jackets and motor out to the secret spots. He always seemed to know when to stop and drop our reels. We didn’t use fishing rods, just  reels that we’d dangle over the side and wow, you’d feel the fish nibble immediately. 
 A common catch was flathead, but we’d also net other random things, including octopus or squid, which I now can’t believe we didn’t eat! Aaaah, that was northwest Tasmania in the ‘70s when there was still so much food to discover.   But sadly, I began to become very unwell after eating fish, until the day I stopped altogether. And it was a long time before I ate it again, when in my 30s. I still enjoy seafood today, but only if it’s mild flavoured.

So this recipe is a celebration of market fresh mild fish and a good recipe to make it even tastier. It’s a keeper. 
Thanks to Giorgio @whennonnocooks and Alessandra @littleitaliancucina for making #onebookthreerecipes such a lovely community.   #freshtuna #freshtunasteak #tuna #tunafish #tunasteak #tunasalad #freshfish #freshfishdinner #potatosalad #potatosalads #greensalad #greensalads #freshisbest #theinfatuatedfoodie #jamieoliver #jamieoliverrecipe #jamieoliverrecipes #thenakedchefbook #thenakedchef

After sharing my home made pasta recipe in a few photos on Tuesday, I figured I’d show you all what my labour of love looked like, spending almost a day making silky pasta filled with a delicious roast spiced pumpkin and home made ricotta filling. Seriously, this was so delicious I had to celebrate this recipe than one single post. The recipe is from The Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver ‘s first book, from 1999. 25 years later, it’s just as good as it was then to cook from. It’s my featured book for October’s #onebookthreerecipes social collab, run by the wonderful Giorgio @whennonnocooks, with help from a different group member each month. This recipe filling’s main ingredients are ricotta, which I made from gorgeous @barambahorganics unhomogenised full cream milk. Then came roast spiced butternut pumpkin (squash), fresh basil and parmesan. I used my own pasta recipe, made up of 60g whole egg to 100g pasta flour. An extra yolk went in as the eggs were a bit on the small side. It pays to weigh! My favourite flour for pasta is @mulinocaputo from Naples in Italy. Despite my preference to buying local, this is far superior to anything milled in Australia for pasta and good breads and I buy it from a local market. At least I’m supporting locals in some way, and not the big supermarket chains. Enough said, enjoy my little movie of a fun day’s cooking. #thenakedchefbook #jamieoliver #spicedpumpkin #filledpasta #pasta #pastarecipe #homemadepasta #italianflour #italianfood #italianpasta #vegetarianrecipe #ricottacheese #homemadeisbest #homemadericotta #vegetarianfood #vegetarianrecipes #theinfatuatedfoodie #nourishingfood #nourishingfoods #barambahorganics #barambahorganicsmilk

This post is a day late. I thought it wasn’t going to happen, but then thought about all the work and love that went into these ugly dumplings and figured it had to happen. The recipe is from The Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver’s first book from 1999. It’s also recipe number 1 for my October #onebookthreerecipes collab. And the recipes in this book are as relevant now as they were in 1999. For these tortellini that became ravioli, I made some beautiful ricotta cheese from scratch with @barambahorganics unhomogenised milk. It was delicious and went into the filling along with the pumpkin, which was sliced, spiced, and roasted to perfection. This is a keeper as a side dish. So yummy. I made the pasta from scratch too, but from my usual recipe. If you’re curious, my recipe is 60g whole egg per 100g flour. Weigh the flour and eggs. My eggs were small so I added an extra yolk and some water to make up the weight per ratio. After resting the pasta dough for a couple of hours, I was ready to make tortellini. The filling was ready, tasty and perfect. The dough was lovely, silky and soft. But after rolling, I couldn’t shape the tortellini! It’s been years since I made it and I just couldn’t get them to fold properly. I needed to get cooking though, so bought out my trusty ravioli tray and made ravioli instead. And even they were a little on the wonky side, but who cares. Once all was done, I made a very simple sauce with butter, fresh thyme and sage leaves that bubbled until the butter was golden brown and the sage leaves were crispy. Plated them up (I cooked the wonky tortellini with ravioli), sprinkled some Parmigiano Reggiano over and voila, there was delicious meal ready and waiting. So it might not look all that pretty, but my oh my, it was worth the effort. #tortellini #tortellinitime #tortellinirecipes #ravioli #homemaderavioli #vegetariandinner #vegetarian #tortellini #jamieoliver #jamieoliverrecipe #jamieoliverrecipes #jamieolivernakedchef #homemadepasta #freshpasta #freshpastalife #onebookthreerecipes @jamieoliver